Remembering Sunnyside WVU

[Darth_VadEER]

If this has been posted, I apologize, but I'm sure some of us haven't found it....

There's a facebook group called, "Remembering Sunnyside WVU", and it's pretty fun. Lots of pictures of Sunnyside from the 70-80's and historical photos from early 1900's. If you look hard enough, I bet some of you will find yourself in an old photo, looking great!

Lots of photos from Dr. Johns, Redbeards, ect.

Just search the phrase I put in quotes.

I guess Sunnyside is mostly bulldozed. That's sad.

LET'S GOOOO

 

[Rootmaster]

good grief Darth...you and I actually agree on something! sad is a good description.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

good grief Darth...you and I actually agree on something! sad is a good description.

I lived on both Beverly and Grant. Both prime party spots. Really great times that I miss...I'm sure you do too.

My first night @ WVU was spent in Sunnyside. My roommate was a year older and had friends on Grant. We pre-gamed at their house, then got in his buddies pickup (that had a recliner in the back) and drove around bouncing from party 2 party....all openly drinking in truck's bed.

As a kid who grew up in PA/NY, that kind of freedom blew my mind. You didn't get away with that back home....this was a sanctuary.

I worked in bars downtown, but spent week-days @ Mutts. Drank a ton, played lots of pool. The superette took the rest of my money, mostly.

It will never be like that again....

 

[Rootmaster]

a lot of similar experiences i'd bet. sunnyside superette...where getting out of the parking spots was suicide lol. on top of that i grew up in morgantown and played in a rock band that gigged all over the area there...16 and all the beer I could hold. were you there when the Olympia was still in operation? House band there for a while. btw: spent a few decades north of the pa border in wny.

 

[MikeRafone]

If this has been posted, I apologize, but I'm sure some of us haven't found it....

There's a facebook group called, "Remembering Sunnyside WVU", and it's pretty fun. Lots of pictures of Sunnyside from the 70-80's and historical photos from early 1900's. If you look hard enough, I bet some of you will find yourself in an old photo, looking great!

Lots of photos from Dr. Johns, Redbeards, ect.

Just search the phrase I put in quotes.

I guess Sunnyside is mostly bulldozed. That's sad.

LET'S GOOOO

Bulldozed and built over. They might as well call it "Sheetz Street" now.

Mutts! Lol! That place looked like it was going to slide over the hill for as long as I remember. The funny thing I recall about that place is the first time I went up there after being away for a couple of years. I got a long careful look over before they let me in, which I thought was odd, but I didn't know the guy at the door.

When I got in, there was were the usual clouds of smoke, the smell of Ozium, and the movement of some of the things the customers were just using on the tables going out of sight. Finally someone yelled, "Mike, is that you? When did your hair fall out? Come on over!" and then to crowd, "He's cool". I never saw so many bongs pop out at once in my life.

What a place!

 

[skygusty_rivals]

If this has been posted, I apologize, but I'm sure some of us haven't found it....

There's a facebook group called, "Remembering Sunnyside WVU", and it's pretty fun. Lots of pictures of Sunnyside from the 70-80's and historical photos from early 1900's. If you look hard enough, I bet some of you will find yourself in an old photo, looking great!

Lots of photos from Dr. Johns, Redbeards, ect.

Just search the phrase I put in quotes.

I guess Sunnyside is mostly bulldozed. That's sad.

LET'S GOOOO

I came from a really small town in WV where everybody knew your name and your business. The anonymity I found in Morgantown in 1970 was freedom! Does any one remember a band called Jubal? The were the first bar band I heard when I first got there. They played at a bar on the corner accross from Diehl Hall and the old stadium. I thought I was in heaven. Can't remember what that bar was called then. I will have to check out the facebook group.

 

[MacMountie]

cool site Darth, thanks for sharing. I met my future (and current) wife waiting inline to get into Dr. John's 9/28/85 after the dreaded 10-10 tie with Pitt. she lived behind the foxfire, campus & grant.

 

[TN EER]

I still have an old t-shirt they sold back when I was in school. Basically an artist drawing of all the shops open at the time.Good times !! One of these days I'll get around to getting it mounted and framed for the den.

 

[MikeRafone]

cool site Darth, thanks for sharing. I met my future (and current) wife waiting inline to get into Dr. John's 9/28/85 after the dreaded 10-10 tie with Pitt. she lived behind the foxfire, campus & grant.

I was up at the Fishbowl post-game that day. I was on Sunnyside the night of the Penn State win the next year watching some fool swing from a power line over a bonfire in the street. A first rate brain like that is probably in the State Senate these days. How he didn't die I'll never know?

 

[GetYaNumbersUp]

For those of us without facebook, does anyone want to post some good photos?

I lived in Summit as a freshman in 2006 before going greek, but living in that dorm (coed btw) right there on Grant were some of the best times of my life.

 

[MichiganHerd]

For those of us without facebook, does anyone want to post some good photos?

I lived in Summit as a freshman in 2006 before going greek, but living in that dorm (coed btw) right there on Grant were some of the best times of my life.

Page appears to be open, so if you click on this link (of their photos on Facebook), you should be able to see most of them.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/sunnysidewvu/photos/?ref=page_internal

 

[Darth_VadEER]

Bulldozed and built over. They might as well call it "Sheetz Street" now.

Mutts! Lol! That place looked like it was going to slide over the hill for as long as I remember. The funny thing I recall about that place is the first time I went up there after being away for a couple of years. I got a long careful look over before they let me in, which I thought was odd, but I didn't know the guy at the door.

When I got in, there was were the usual clouds of smoke, the smell of Ozium, and the movement of some of the things the customers were just using on the tables going out of sight. Finally someone yelled, "Mike, is that you? When did your hair fall out? Come on over!" and then to crowd, "He's cool". I never saw so many bongs pop out at once in my life.

What a place!

This season will be my first visit back to Morgantown in a few years, and the last time I didn't go into the neighborhood. So I'm sure that I will be surprised by what I see.

I lived and couch-surfed at a number of places. All fire traps that I'd cringe to see my own kids live in. My car windows were smashed twice and I was improperly towed a couple times.

I remember living there one summer and my apartment was ground level. We had a porch and about 2 feet of yard until the sidewalk and street. That apartment was so damn hot I thought my computer would melt. I'd just lay in bed at night staring at the ceiling, covered in sweat. The only window was directly in the front next to the sidewalk, in open view from the street and just a couple feet from the sidewalk. It was a big window with no screen. So I could either lay in bed and slowly roast or open a window for fresh air but expose myself to any drunk or criminal wondering on Beverly. Someone could literally reach through the window and grab me by the throat as I slept.

My solution was to open the window halfway and stack empty beer cans on top of the frame - the theory being if someone attempted to open it, the cans would fall and alert me....the most primitive of security systems.

 

[MikeRafone]

When WVU beat Pitt on Bill McKenzie's FG I had some buddies that lived in Sunnyside. The door leading up to where they lived was ripped off the hinges and thrown on a bonfire as people rushed out of old Mountaineer Field to celebrate. The landlord didn't replace it for weeks. If I remember correctly he nailed a hunk of plywood to the upper corner of the frame that they could push to one side and squeeze through?

If people want memories of what the housing in old Sunnyside was like, head to the slums of South Park. That's it w/o the bars.

 

[Rootmaster]

Good grief I remember that game...the catch on the play before that set up the field goal...and the kick. McKenzie was a walk on no less. Great day to be a Mountaineer. There was a lot of cool at the old stadium. 1975...had finished up an extended stint as an Air Force officer (ROTC cadet corp commander at WVU) and was working in Pittsburgh of all things...and my wife and I got down to Morgantown to see the game.

 

[xWVU2010x]

Went to Morgantown on business a year ago, first trip since 2011 (graduated 2010), and wow it was a gut punch to see that basically all of the major chains have bought out Sunnyside. Overall it's still Motown enough key landmarks are still around but Sunnyside seems to have been neutered.

 

[WVex-pat in GA]

When WVU beat Pitt on Bill McKenzie's FG I had some buddies that lived in Sunnyside. The door leading up to where they lived was ripped off the hinges and thrown on a bonfire as people rushed out of old Mountaineer Field to celebrate. The landlord didn't replace it for weeks. If I remember correctly he nailed a hunk of plywood to the upper corner of the frame that they could push to one side and squeeze through?

If people want memories of what the housing in old Sunnyside was like, head to the slums of South Park. That's it w/o the bars.

That bonfire is widely recognized as the first official "couch burning" on campus. I know, I was there! As I recall the flames grew higher and higher until it burnt the traffic light hanging over the intersection at Old MF. Had a slice in my hand from Fox's Pizza Den as I watched it crash to the ground. Good times!